Operative mechanism for locomotive cylinder cocks



" Q 1935- I R. A, LIGHT ET AL 2,0234601 OPERATIVE MECHANISM FOR LOCOMOTIVE CYLINDER COCKS Filed Nov. 5, 1934 Y INVEAVTORS.

\ 7 7) I HESep/I MPriCgrI Patented Dec. 10, 1935 OPERATIVE MECHANISM FOR LOCOMOTIVE CYLINDER COCKS Ralph A. Light, Cynwyd, and Joseph W. Price, Jr., Philadelphia, Pa., assignors to The United States Metallic Packing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application November 3, 1934, Serial No. 751,272

2 Claims.

Our invention relates to locomotives provided with cylinder cocks of the type in which an exhaust or outlet valve is opened and closed by the movement of a piston working in a cylinder, an open end of which extends into the chamber of the cylinder cock and the other end of which is connected with a conduit for pressure fluid connected with a source of pressure fluid and opened and closed by a valve actuated from the cab of the locomotive, the pressure fluid acting on the piston to move it in a direction to close the outlet valve and means being provided, as a spring, tending to move the piston in a direction to open the outlet valve. A typical cylinder cock of the kind in question is described and shown in the patent to McLain, 1,958,091, of May 8, 1934. As heretofore operated, the outlet valve in such cylinder cocks will remain closed as long as the cab valve controlling the conduit leading from the source of fluid pressure remains open except at such times as the pressure in the chamber of the cylinder cock may exert sufiicient pressure on the piston to move it in a direction to open the valve. It is desirable, however, that Whenever the steam is cut ofi from the driving cylinders of the locomotive, as by the actuation of the throttle valve, that the outlet valves of the cylinder cocks should be open and it is also important that whenever the throttle valve is opened and steam delivered to the driving cylinders that the outlet valves of the cylinder cock should be promptly closed and the object of our invention is to provide in the conduit by which pressure fluid is led to the cylinder cocks a second valve located between the valve controlled from the cab and the cylinder cocks and a means for actuating it by which the valve is closed Whenever the throttle valve of the locomotive is closed and opened whenever the throttle valve is opened to admit the flow of steam from the boiler to the driving cylinders so that while the connection from the source of fluid pressure to the throttle valve is still controllable by the engineer from the cab, the connection between the source of fluid pressure and the cylinder cocks will be automatically out oif when the throttle is closed and automatically opened when the throttle valve is opened, provided the cut off valve controlled by the engineer is also at the time open.

The nature of our invention will be better understood as described in connection with the drawing which illustrates apparatus Well adapted for its practical use and employment and in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a locomotive provided with our improvement.

Figure 2 is a front end elevation of the locomotive.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of the second 5 valve controlling the pressure fluid connection with the cylinder cocks, together with its actuating mechanism.

Figure 4 is a cross-section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of a cylinder cock.

A indicates the steam dome of the locomotive boiler. B indicates the cab of the locomotive. C, C, the driving cylinders, C C the cylinder valve chambers. D indicates the steam pipe for supplying steam to the locomotive cylinders, D D the branches of the steam pipe leading to the cylinders on opposite sides of the locomotive.

E indicates the throttle valve controlled by the throttle lever in the cab, indicated at E F, F, etc., indicate the cylinder cocks, one being connected with each end of the driving cylinders, as shown. These cylinder cocks are constructed as described and shown in the McLain Patent No. 1,958,091, the cock having a chamber F connected to the end of the driving cylinder and having an outlet port at its bottom as indicated at F This port is opened and closed by a slide valve indicated at F and the slide valve is actuated by a rod F? forming an extension of a piston F working in a cylinder F one end of which opens into the chamber F and the other or outer end of which is connected to a conduit for fluid under pressure, indicated at G A spring F exerts resilient pressure on'the rod F in a direction to move the rod and piston in a direction which will open the valve F G is a conduit for fluid under pressure connected to a source of pressure fluid, as shown, with the steam dome of the locomotive although it should be understood that a reservoir of compressed air may serve as the source of the pressure fluid. Located in the pipe or conduit G is a valve in the cab of the locomotive and diagrammatically indicated at H, by means of which the supply of pressure fluid can be cut off at will and exhausted from the delivery side of the valve. As shown, this valve is of the ordinary plug type but it will be understood that any valve functioning to close the conduit and vent the portion on the delivery side may be used. G is a continuation of the pipe or conduit G connected by branches, as indicated at G with the individual cylinder cocks.

Located between the conduit G and its continuation G is a valve casing J having an inlet port J connected with the pipe G and an outlet port J connected with the pipe G The inlet port J connects with the valve chamber J from which a port J connects with the outlet port J and is opened and closed by a poppet valve J a spring J 6 being located in the-valve chamber so as to act with resilient pressure to move the poppet valve to seated position. The lower end.

of the valve chamber J is closed by a cap J in which is formed a vent port or passage indicated at J which is opened and closed by a valve indicated at J". A spring- J1 acts on this valve in a direction which will tend to move it away from its seat and open the port. Connected with the top of the valve casing J is a cylinder J the connection being formedgas shown, by a neck J through which is formed a cylindrical passage J opening at its lower end into a chamber 7'4" forming a part of the passage between the port J and the outlet port J The upper end of the cylinder J is connected by a pipe K with the steam pipe, as shown with one of the branches D and the connection should be made, as shown,

ata pointinsthe steam pipe at a lower level than the point of attachmentoi the pipe K with'the cylinder so that any condensed water will drain back into the steam pipe. As; shown, the lower end of the cylinder J is provided with one or mo e v nts, as ind cat d at h po tion of the bottom of the cylinder which immediately surrounds the cylindrical passage J should be finished as indicated at J and L is a piston working in the cylinder J having a piston rod extension U which extends through and forms a working fit with thercylindrical passage JP. The lower end of this piston rod is formed of reduced. diameter asindicated at L and extends through the port Jlso asto contact with the valve J. 1 s an nnula shoulde or at the Junct onof the p on r d 1 and its e c ten ion L d L4 s abo t: r pa ae 'q at. its lower end through the shoulderL and at i s pper e d p n into an; a n a pas formed in the pistonrod L and indicated at L This annular passage is located so that whenthe valve J5 isclosed and the piston L .in corresponding elevated positionit will register with vent passages formed through the neck J and indicated at, J

All the underside of the piston L and immediately surrounding 'thepiston rod L is formed what may be called a valve indicatedat L which, when the piston is in its lowermost position is seated on the seat indicated at J With the exception of the valve located between the conduit sections (5 and G1 and the mechanism and connections for actuating this valve, the strucu e i s r and c ibed s ld. and in no malconditions of operation the valve H is opened so thatpressure fluid such as steam or airis admittedto the conduit G connected, as indicat d at G ith the outer. n 0f he c d F-of thecylinder cocks and the pressure fluid V ac in n the i t ns F5 i and-hold hes p stons to a position in which they will effect the los go a e: B n as e ses t e r sure fluid: continues to act upon the pistons the valve will remain: closed except, when" the pressure; inthe cylinder cock chamber F becomes great enough to exert a pressure on the inner ends of. the pistons, to shift. them topositionsto the throttle valve, is opened the engineer, by

pressure fluid-to thepipe G and at the same time promptly move towalve opening position and at on .Q th centmlv v a d etween the 9 cock chambers. When it is desired that the valves F should be opened at other times in order to vent the cylinder cocks, the cab valve H is shifted to cut off supply of pressure fluid to the cylinder cocks and vent the pressure fluid in the conduit 5 G and its connections with the cylinder cocks. It is, however, highly desirable that whenever steam supply is cut off from the driving cylinders of the locomotive as by closing of the throttle valve E, that the'outlet valves of the cylinder cocks should, open. so as to exhaust any water which may have accumulated in the cylinder cocks and that as soon as the throttle valve is again actuated to admit steam to the steam pipe leading to the cylinders the outlet valves of the cylinder cocks should promptly close and that this operation should take place without requiring any manipulation of the control valve H and it is to automatically provide for such operations of the cylinder cock valves that our invention 20 intended and by the construction which we have described. the pressure fluid, when the valve B1- is opened, passes into the valve chamber J and if the throttle. is closed and no steam admitted into the top of the cylinder J, the valve J if not previously seated by the action of the spring J will be seated and held to its seat by the pressure of the pressure fluid admitted to 'znove it downwardwith the result that the piston rod extensipnhiwill move'the valve J away 40 fromitsseat andpermit the passage of pressure fluid into the pipe Gl and through its connections with the cylinder cock cylinders F? so that the pistons F areat once shifted. to valve.closing position. Whenever the throttle is closed, 5 steam pressure is relieved. from the topv of the piston L so that ,the valve J5 will be seated and, in seating, will, through thecontacting piston rod extension L shift the piston L toits uppermost position and, at the same time, the annular 5 recess Lain the piston rod is brought into registry with the vent passages J so that any pressure fiuid-contained'in thepipe G and its connections is vented with the result that the. cylinder cock pistons promptly move to position to open. their controlled. valves.

If itis desired to vent thelcylinder cocks when shifting the valve H, can shut 01f. the supply of vent such pressure fluid as may be: contained in the pipe G and its connections, with the result that pressure is cut ofi and the piston F will, under the pressureexertedby the spring F and such pressureas may, exist in the cylinder cooks,

the same time pnessure being released in the valve chamber J? the valve J which will be held seated as long as pressure exists in the chamber J will open by the pressure exerted by the spring J so that any water contained in the valve chamber will be vented,

It will be understood that while the construcduit sections G and G and the mechanisgnfior actuating this valve is, we believe, especially well adapted for practical use, our invention is not to be understood as limited on any of the details of construction illustrated and described as these details may obviously be changed and modified in many Ways.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a locomotive engine comprising a boiler, driving cylinders, a steam pipe controlled by a throttle valve connecting the steam space of the boiler with the driving cylinders, cylinder cocks of the type in which means are provided for shifting an exhaust valve to closed position, which means is actuated by fluid under pressure mm veyed to the cylinder cocks from a source of pressure fluid by a conduit provided with a valve controllable in the cab of the locomotive and operative to cut oil or open connection between the source of fluid pressure and the cylinder cocks, the improvement which consists in providing in the conduit connecting the source of fluid pressure with the cylinder cocks at a point intermediate the valve controllable from the cab of the locomotive and said cylinder cocks, a second valve adapted to open and close said conduit and combining therewith means tending to close said valve when the throttle valve is closed and valve operating means connected with the steam pipe leading from the throttle valve of the locomotive and operative when the throttle valve is open to open the valve and permit passage of the pressure fluid to the cylinder cocks.

2. Mechanism as called for in claim 1, having means operative with the second valve in the pressure fluid conduit leading to the cylinder cocks when said valve is in closed position to permit the exhaust of pressure fluid in the portion of the conduit between said valve and the cylinder cocks.

RALPH A. LIGHT. JOSEPH W. PRICE, JR. 

